


Since everything had passed, maybe we can start again.

by Oz_the_Gweat_and_Tewwible



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, How Do I Tag, My First AO3 Post, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-05 08:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18362432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oz_the_Gweat_and_Tewwible/pseuds/Oz_the_Gweat_and_Tewwible
Summary: Aunt May is finally dealing with the death of Peter, after the super-collider is dealt with. Not the best moment to Liv to barge into her backyard.





	1. Aftermath

When the lights of the neighborhood went down, May knew it has started. It took a few seconds for the generator of the shed to start, but she wouldn’t be without lights this night. When the lights came back, she could see the weirdness that was affecting the surrounding things. That’s what Peter was trying to prevent when he…  
She couldn’t finish the thought. The computer came back to life, and she began to access the news, social media, everything she could about what was going on. What she could have done she already did. Now it was time for the Spider-kids to do their work to stop Kingpin. And…

  
Why Liv went for that despicable man in the first place? The university was giving enough funds for them to pursue their theory. Even if Liv were only had a master’s degree in engineering and May was teaching Quantum Physics at the time, they had a very comfortable life. Between the two of them, they could have proven that multi-dimension travel was possible. Theoretically.

  
May could see the effects of the Super-collider spreading through the city. It was still warming up. Gathering black matter to bring the dimensions closer and closer. If the Liv’s calculations were right, that would create only a micro-black-hole, that would disappear as soon as the collider was shut down. If they were wrong, the dimensions would collapse on top of each other, forming one big enough to swallow all the time-space continuum. May would be certain the calculations were right, if it wasn’t for that brutish mob boss running the business. As is, she prayed for those kids to succeed.

  
Then again, since Liv got her PHD, she wasn’t the same, always trying to push harder and harder on their experiments. She became obsessed at the point of designing those extra limbs for herself. She could have used it to revolutionize the medical prosthetic's field but was too focused in building a working collider to go through the approval for mass production. And she didn’t care. When the fact that she used unapproved experiments in animals to make her tentacles work, she didn’t only lose her job at the university. She lost her wife too.

  
Even from the other side of the city, May was able to hear the explosion. After another black-out, she could see that the weirdness was gone. The universe was still there. After a brief sigh of relive, she went for the computer to see the news. She knew that feeling well. It wasn’t as strong as with her Peter, but she cared enough for those kids to be anxious for news. She couldn’t admit for herself that part of the feeling was for Liv too. Not after she joined Kingpin. Not after the countless fights with Peter. Not after yesterday. But still…

  
The news started to come as soon as people were able to reach Fisk Tower. One of the first ones was a picture of Miles hugging some policeman that someone posted on social media. At least he was okay. Then came the reporters and more developments. Fisk was arrested, and Alchemax was, finally, under investigation. Other news about Scorpion and Tombstone came out. Some reports on the damage. Thankfully they were able to evacuate the building when the “earthquakes” began. MJ was fine… They were looking for the Head Scientist of Alchemax for questioning. No news on her or on “Doc Ock”. How they could not see they were the same person was the question for the ages.

  
With everything almost calm now, May went to the spare room she had on the shed. It was already 3 in the morning, and now the news were only repeating themselves. She passed by the suits and the gadgets and the lab, and now, after the whole business with the collider was over, it hit her like a brick. Peter was gone. Her Peter was gone.

* * *

 

Olivia woke up in what have remained of the Super-Collider. She was hit by a truck. She was now stuck below what looked like concrete. But she was alive. Probably the reality warping effects in the area minimized the impact enough, so she could have survived. But it still felt like she was hit by a truck and was stuck below concrete.

  
She counted at least 3 broken limbs. One of which was organic. She used her 2 functional tentacles to move the rubble above her. How much time had passed? It was already morning and the sounds of the city were surrounding her. At least one night them. The good news was that the rescue time were distracted enough, so she could pass them without much effort.

  
Olivia took the morning to calculate the damage. Alchemax was under investigation, the Kingpin in jail, and she was presumed dead with her reputation tarnished. The broken radio of her arm would be easy enough to fix. But there weren’t many places in which to find the pieces for her tentacles.

  
The fact that she was presumed dead doesn’t make it easier. Now, her bank accounts would be frozen. And the ones in other names probably were in Kingpin records, so even if they still work, they were being watched. She was smarter than that. It only left one choice. The one that she really wanted to avoid.

  
Even in her current state was easy to immobilize the wounded arm and use the other 3 to get a car to drive until the Queens. To the ruin of a house that she knew all too well. She parked in another block and went thinking what to say. She ignored the front door and when directly to the shed in the back. The woman she was looking for was standing in front of it, with a baseball bat at hand. Could be worse. At least she wasn’t wielding it.

  
-Hi May... 

* * *

 

It was the first thing she saw when she woke up: “Olivia Octavius, head of Alchemax is revealed to be Doctor Octopus, and is presumed dead after the explosion in the Fisk Tower.” Even before she could make herself a coffee, her only fear of the moment appeared to come to life. Why did you do this to yourself Liv? Tears followed despite her commitment to not cry over someone who was involved in Peter’s death, but she couldn’t erase the 10 years they were together.

  
Coffee was not the best idea right now. She went for tea instead. A calming recipe that got her through her own PHD. If… If not, when the reporters find out about her connection with Liv, the paparazzi would be swarming her door. The surveillance and security system outside would be her salvation. At least until the house was fixed, she would stay in the shed. When she thought about that, remembered that it was best to call the Stark insurance company. It was a bit expensive but was the only one that covered super-villains attack. And it was a thing to distract her from the deaths.

  
Even then, it already has passed a few hours on the phone when the alarm went off. Someone was coming to the shed. Probably MJ or even Miles. She wasn’t prepared to see a very broken Liv at her doorstep. For a moment, she thought of only calling the cops and stay down. But then, she knew the cops couldn’t handle her. Even now. So she took the first weapon at hand and then, the elevator.

  
-Hi May...


	2. We’re never married

Olivia was very beaten up. Her naturally messy hair was even messier and was covering a good chunk of the left of her face. From what May could see of the part that was visible, it probably was intentional, to cover bigger bruises. The clothes she was wearing were to big for her, but she knew that it too served a purpose, hide the tentacles that for some reason weren’t retracting. Her left arm was in a makeshift sling, and she was limping badly. If it wasn’t for the green googles, she could have passed for some homeless lady.

 

-Hi May… - The voice was low and raspy, and It took all breath Liv have. For a moment May felt sorry for her ex. Then she remembered that everything that happened was because of the woman in front of her. She grasped harder on the baseball bat at her left side. Liv took another unsure step towards the entrance of the shed before she started talking again. But May couldn’t hear anything behind the growing anger that she was feeling.

 

-How dare you... – At the sound of May’s voice, Liv stopped. She looked resigned. Defeated. Hurt even. But not ashamed. The anger only grew. In more than 15 years the only times that she had any news from Liv was when she stared those awful sciency-TV shows, the time she was made head-scientist of Alchemax and finally the news of the appearance of the “Doctor Octopus” and her fights with Peter. And now, she breaks down her home. Not into her home. She breaks down her home, and when she lost, she come here, like it was nothing.

 

-May, I need your help to…- There was a sharp sound. May knew that even in that state, if Liv wanted, the sonorous slap would have been stopped by Liv’s tentacles, even her good arm would be enough to stop the hand of an old woman. But still, her hand hit the uncovered side of the face in full force. It caught her by surprise. All her anger was still there, but the sound of the slap transformed the raging fire into smoldering coals. The bat fell in the pavement with a small tud.

 

\- How. Dare. You. – There was still anger in her voice. But it was an impotent anger, a sad anger. She wanted to scream. To shout so all the neighborhood would know that “Doc Ock” was here. Scream for the police, for the army. But she couldn’t do it. For all the pain in her heart right now, seeing Liv in this state, only brought more.

 

For a time, the two women stood there looking at each other. Both of them in the most painful moments of their lives. The debris of the fight were everywhere around them. Pieces of wood, roofing, hurt, pride. It was heavy with dust and guilt. May could see Liv trying to read her, to see if she still got a chance to get whatever she wanted.

 

-May, may I come in?- Liv tried to smile with her swollen face. The smile she used when sneaking into May’s office with a bottle of wine and two glasses. On a Wednesday. Or when she got into her first robot fight tournament, with the faculty money. All her best memories together began with that smile. And all the worst too. That smile could rapidly transform into a viper’s stare, and she would use every weakness as a way to get what she wanted.

 

\- It’s Mrs Parker now, Liv.

 

* * *

 

That hurt more than the broken arm, more than all the punches and kicks she traded with Spider-Man, or any of the spider-people for that matter. And of course, the fact that May had all the reason, and more, to be like that didn’t make it any easier. She could make her way into the shed and take what she needed. But then what?

 

-If you want me to go, I’ll go. You don’t need to say it. For all that’s worth it, I never told Kingpin that Spider-man was your nephew. - Liv felt betrayed when May dump her for Ben, even more so when she found out that Spider-man was Peter Parker. But she did all she could to protect her ex from her choices. - And don’t worry about the papers, Mrs. Parker. For all the records known, we’re never married.

 

Dr. Olivia Octavius, head scientist of Alchemax Corporations, mother of dimensional travel and soft robotics limb enhancements, looked to the ground and turned away. She had finally proven her theory was right. The spider-people made through. With a few adjustments, the cellular decay would be dealt with. Yet, here she was. On the backyard of her ex, broke in more than one way, and with no actual way to move on.

 

Every step she took, she could feel in her broken arm. Her body was in dire need of some rest. The car was not far, she could sleep in it for a while before bumping it for a new one. Maybe she could get some money from one of her hidden accounts and get away before the cops find her out. Then she could try to at least detach her tentacles to take proper care of her wounds. And then, maybe start a lab in a new place. With her body restored and a new set of tentacles, she could always find a way to fund her research. And…

 

Her vision began to blur. She could sense her consciousness slipping away. How could she not think of it with her heart racing? She dismissed It as nervousness, and now, she was about to fall. Too late to run. She looked back…

 

-Please…- And all went dark.

 

* * *

 

-We’re never married. – As those words came out from Liv’s mouth, all anger was gone. That woman in front of her wasn’t the fun and energetic Olivia she fell in love for. Nor the ruthless Doc Ock that fought Peter countless times. It was a shell. After a lifetime trying to achieve the unthinkable, she finally done it, and there was nothing left.

 

“We’re never married.” May couldn’t believe that Liv would do that. How could she erase their history without second thought? Without telling her? For all the things that happened after it, those were still some of the best years in her life. Her first love after she thought she never would have one.

 

“We’re never married.” Even then, she cared about her. In her own twisted way, she was protecting her. If only she wasn’t so obsessed with her work, they could have worked it out. They would be celebrating their achievement, not morning their losses. May gave a last look for the woman she once loved. Their eyes crossed.

 

-Please… - And Liv fell to her back.


End file.
